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IN THE FIRST THREE decades after the Park Chung Hee government launched the First Five-Year Economic Development Plan in 1962, the South Korean economy grew enormously and the economic structure was radically transformed. South Korea's real gross national product (GNP) expanded by an average of more than 8 percent per year, from US$2.3 billion in 1962 to US$204 billion in 1989. Per capita annual income grew from US$87 in 1962 to US$4,830 in 1989. The manufacturing sector grew from 14.3 percent of the GNP in 1962 to 30.3 percent in 1987. Commodity trade volume rose from US$480 million in 1962 to a projected US$127.9 billion in 1990. The ratio of domestic savings to GNP grew from 3.3 percent in 1962 to 35.8 percent in 1989.

North Korea rejected a proposal from South Korea's new conservative president to establish liaison offices in both countries

SEOUL, South Korea—North Korea rejected a proposal from South Korea's new conservative president to establish liaison offices in both countries calling it a public relations exercise aimed at covering up deteriorating ties on the divided peninsula.

The proposal was Lee's first overture to the communist nation.

North and South Koreans speak and write the same language.  It is derived from the Ural-Altaic family, which also includes Turkish, Hungarian, Finnish, Mongolian, Tibetan and Japanese.  The written Korean language is called Hangeul, consisting of 10 vowels and 14 consonants.  King Sejong invented it in the 15th century.  Hangeul is considered easy to learn and write, contributing to Korea’s high literacy rates (98% over age 15).

Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Constitution in Korea.  50.7 percent of Koreans follow a specific religious faith.  Followers of Buddhism and Protestants are in the highest numbers, followed by Catholics.  Other practicing faiths are Shamanism, Taoism, and Islam. Confucian tenets or Confucian doctrine is deeply embedded in many Koreans' lives, regardless of religion.

Seoul’s subway system is the eight-largest in the world.  The railway system includes over 4,000 passenger trains and 13,000 freight trains.  In 1998, the nation’s highways exceeded 2,000 km.  International airports serve 74 cities throughout the world.  Ocean liners, cruise ships, cargo ships and container ships are a frequent site at Korean ports.

Korea recently pulled through an economic storm that began in late 1997. This crisis, which roiled markets all across Asia, had threatened Korea's remarkable economic achievements

Korea, once known to be one of the world's poorest agrarian societies, has undertaken economic development in earnest since 1962. In less than four decades, it achieved what has become known as the "Miracle on the Hangang River" - an incredible process that dramatically transformed the Korean economy while marking a turning point in Korea's history.

With a history as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, Korea is working to become the focal point of a powerful Asian economic bloc during the 21st century

When the war ended in 1945, the great majority of the people living in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula were poor peasants.

Japanese colonial regime from 1910 to 1945 had promoted modernization of the economy and society

By 1990 educational and public health standards were high, most people lived in urban areas, and a complex structure of social classes had emerged that resembled the social structures of developed Western countries or Japan. The country also was making substantial progress in its evolution from a military dictatorship similar to that of many Third World regimes to a democratic, pluralistic political system.

Korea is connected by air to every major capital in the world

37 international airlines

over 1,500 flights into and out of Korea every week

Gross domestic product grew 0.7% from the previous quarter, down from the 1.6% expansion seen at the end of 2007. Falling exports were largely to blame for the quarterly slowdown along with weak consumer spending. President Lee Myung-bak took office in February promising to boost annual growth to 7% - it grew 5% in 2007. The investment bank Goldman Sachs said it was keeping its growth forecast for the full year at 4.8% despite the weak quarterly figures. It predicted the government's programme of tax-cuts and deregulation would boost growth while the weak currency would help exporters. Inflation figures were also released on Friday, with consumer prices rising 3.9% in the year to the end of March. That figure is above the government's target of between 2.5% and 3.5% for the fourth month running.

oting has begun across South Korea in parliamentary elections that observers say are critical to the country's economic and political future. The elections come amid now-robust economic performance, as well as on the heels of the announcement of improved ties with North Korea. Rival candidates made last-ditch appeals for votes as the world focused on the first-ever summit between the two Koreas.

Another pressing issue for Kim's 2-year-old government is the reform of South Korea's inefficient economic systems, especially its family-owned conglomerates, or chaebol. About a dozen of the conglomerates collapsed under debts in 1997, forcing South Korea to accept a record $58 billion bailout package from the International Monetary Fund.

President Kim has publicly said reunions of those separated family members will top the agenda. Only 50 people from each Korea were allowed to cross the border in 1985 for the first temporary family reunions. No further reunions have since been arranged because of military and political tensions. The Korean border, the world's most heavily armed, is sealed with nearly 2 million troops deployed on both sides.

he number of physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and other health personnel and the number of hospitals and clinics have increased dramatically since the Korean War

In 1974 the population per physician was 2,207; by 1983 this number had declined to 1,509. During the same period, the number of general hospitals grew from 36 to 156 and the number of hospital beds tripled from 19,062 to 59,099

Rural areas had limited medical facilities, because in the past there was little incentive for physicians to work in areas outside the cities,

When dialing from outside of Korea, first dial the international access code (011 in the U.S.), then the Korea country code (82), then the area code (2), and finally the Embassy number (397-4114).

The Korean public education structure is divided into three parts: six years of primary school, followed by three years of middle school and then three years of high school

The primary curriculum consists of nine principal subjects: moral education, Korean language, social studies, mathematics, science, physical education, music, fine arts, and practical arts.

High schools are divided into academic and vocational schools

MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION:  Hospitals in Korea are generally well-equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic equipment.  High quality general and specialty dental care is available in Seoul.  Western-style medical facilities are available in major urban areas of Seoul, Busan, Daegu, and a few other large cities.  However, not all doctors and staff in these major urban areas are proficient in English.  Most clinics in rural areas do not have an English-speaking doctor.  A list of hospitals and medical specialists who speak English is available at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul or on the Embassy's web site at http://korea.usembassy.gov/health.html.

Pharmacies are first-rate and most prescribed medications, except psychotropic medications, can be obtained with a prescription.  Travelers taking any psychotropic or controlled medications should bring a sufficient supply as well as a copy of the prescription for Korean customs clearance at the airport. Korean ambulances do not carry sophisticated medical equipment and the ambulance personnel do not have the same level of emergency medical training as in the United States.  However, ambulances operated by the fire department (dial 119) will respond very quickly and take patients to the nearest hospital.  For medical evacuation to points outside Korea, SOS International is located in Seoul (tel: 02- 3140-1902, web site: www.internationalsos.com

Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) or via the CDC’s Internet site at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx.  For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad, consult the World Health Organization’s (WHO) web site at http://www.who.int/en.  Further health information for travelers is available at http://www.who.int/ith.

current research interests include real interest rates in Korea

1) the period of Malthusian stagnation up to 1910, when Japan annexed Korea; 2) the colonial period from 1910-45, when the country embarked upon modern economic growth; and 3) the post colonial decades, when living standards improved rapidly in South Korea, while North Korea returned to the world of disease and starvation.